1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf and more specifically to an improved putting method and apparatus, which enables a golfer to decrease the amount of variation during a putting stroke.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Putting methods and club designs have not changed dramatically for the last 100 years. The result of this lack of change has been a lack of improvement in putting skills by amateur golfers as well as professional golfers. The traditional putting methods are plagued with numerous sources of potential error, resulting in making the action so difficult that even few professionals have been able to master the task. Furthermore, the great plethora of putter designs that are introduced to the marketplace yearly gives testimony to the fact that very few putter designs include all of the features that are necessary to optimize the equipment for the intended task of even traditional putting methods, even though the sport is approximately 400 years old.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,561,349 to Murphy et al. discloses a golf club. The Murphy et al. patent includes a golf club with a substantial ball formed on a handle end. U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,446 to Scheie et al. discloses a golfer's putting aid. The Scheie et al. patent provides a putting aid for a golf putter comprising an elongated rod and a generally spherical end member mounted on the rod. The generally spherical section contacts a portion of the torso of a golfer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,403 to Schmidt discloses a method and apparatus for improving putting skill. The Schmidt patent includes an improved putter design and a swinging stance of specific features.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in the art for an improved putting method and apparatus, which decreases the variation encountered during a putting swing and provides for a putter, which is designed to optimize the properties critical to successful execution of such an improved putting stroke.